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914World.com _ 914World Garage _ What do you use at home for parts cleaning

Posted by: Thorshammer Aug 2 2004, 07:59 AM

I have been shopping parts washers, but am not interested in a "stoddard solvent" type washer, any really good solutions? My garage is attached and even brake cleaner is vented (winter or summer). Need to be able to clean something as large as a 911 case.

Any suggestions would help. Please limit comments to what you have actually used. The stuff I am interested in is: how quickly it dries on a part, how do you renew or recycle the fluid, flammability, how well it removes oils and grease from air/oil cooled engines.

Thanks,

Erik

Posted by: rdauenhauer Aug 2 2004, 08:55 AM

Castrol Superclean. prety sure that it Kinda purple color. Extreamly strong detergent

Posted by: RON S. Aug 2 2004, 09:08 AM

Erik,
I have a 3.6l engine that the P.O.must've drove daily on a clay-lined road.
I tried gas,laquer thinner,kerosene ,diesel fuel,wesley's bleach white,and other things.

On a lark,I tried some brake parts cleaner,that comes in a large spray can from the autoparts stores.
The brake cleaner and a small wire brush took all the baked on clay off the bottom of my case.Stuff dries pretty fast,I soaked some in a rag to wipe excess off.it polished the case up real nice.
About 4 bucks a can,ya can't go wrong.

Ron

Posted by: JOHNMAN Aug 2 2004, 09:12 AM

Here is a suggestion...

Get yourself a used dishwasher and remove the upper rack.

Use detergent suitable for aluminum.

This would give you a cheap heated parts washer with no fumes....

Just don't use the wifes dishwasher or you may have to find yourself someplace to live....

Posted by: Howard R Aug 2 2004, 01:01 PM

Johnmans right. I have used the dishwasher a few times. Most recently restoring the Webers which I had stripped down. You have to wait until she has gone out. I used normal washing up detergent not the caustric dishwasher stuff. She did find out about it sometime later, I think about the time I was preheating the cylinder heads in her new stove. It did not go down well.

Posted by: jkeyzer Aug 2 2004, 01:08 PM

The solvent based cleaners are great and they don't cost much. But I can understand your reluctance to get one, they are stinky and they kill brain cells. I use paint thinner in mine.

Posted by: iamchappy Aug 2 2004, 04:37 PM

You can buy the brake cleaner in gallon cans( about 15.00 at the local flap) and use a sprayer or spray bottle to apply, way cheaper than arousal cans for the big jobs. Some times you have to ask for it as they stock it behind the counter.

Posted by: morphenspectra Aug 2 2004, 05:03 PM

orange clean comes in a orange spray bottle
breaks down grease instantly.not stinky either.oven cleaner works awsome,real stinky though.water and webers dont mix.

Posted by: TimT Aug 2 2004, 05:05 PM

Take the case to a local tranny shop, slip the guy a ten, and have them put the case in the industrial sized dishwasher... bring the case home and do a final detailing...

Fo other parts I have a small plastic parts washer, and use a bio-degradable citrus based solvent, works pretty damn good.

Posted by: soloracer Aug 2 2004, 06:30 PM

How about removing oxidation from a magnesium transmission? I would also like to clean up the rust on the input and output flanges. Any suggestions?

Tim: I just noticed that you are a Haltech distributor. What has been your experience with the E11? I just purchased one from Australia to run my 3 rotor engine. I would have gave you a shot at it if I had known you were a distributor.

Posted by: TimT Aug 2 2004, 07:20 PM

The E11 is a pretty powerful ECU, I havent installed one yet.

We usually install the E6F, or E6X. On the 911's we run waste spark ignition, and semi sequential injection, and on turbo engines, we stage a set of injectors to come on under boost. I guess the 3 rotor engine needs all the outputs the E11 has?

In any event we can get anything from Haltech, and usually have one or two ECUs in stock, along with all the necessary sensors etc.

Now back to your regularly scheduled thread

Posted by: soloracer Aug 2 2004, 08:13 PM

I need the E11 to run the split timing on the 3 rotor. I used to have an E6K and was planning to use it in my RX7 but sold it when I got the 3 rotor.

Sorry for the diversion .....so back to the cleaning questions. What would you use to remove corrosion from a transmission to make it look new again? Sandblasting? Soda blasting?

Posted by: soloracer Aug 3 2004, 10:35 AM

Wire brush? My input shaft is what I am primarily worried about. Are the splines a precision fit or will they be ok if there are a few nicks and scratches?

Posted by: sanman Aug 3 2004, 03:59 PM

Gasket scraper, A good Heavyduty Degreaser( Costal)
Carb cleaner, and I Agree Oven cleaner
works for me
I Have a Harbor Freight parts washer i used in the past but ( Call for HD Degreaser) Holds 20 gallons. It is quicker
to spray parts w/ a garden sprayer and presure wash. just my $.02